Joko Sukoyo, Endang Kurniati, Mujimin, Tommi Yuniawan, Sucipto Hadi Purnomo
Instructional practices in junior and senior high schools in Semarang, Indonesia, still tend to rely on uniform strategies. Teachers often assume that all students can receive learning materials in the same manner. Each student is unique, possessing individual learning styles in processing information. Neglecting these learning styles leads to a mismatch between teachers’ instructional methods and students’ ways of learning, which in turn may hinder comprehension and reduce learning motivation. Understanding learning styles becomes increasingly relevant at the junior and senior high school levels, as subject matter becomes more complex and in depth. This study adopts a quantitative descriptive approach using a survey method. A total of 368 students participated as respondents. Primary data were collected through a learning style questionnaire measuring three types of learning styles: visual, auditory, and kinesthetic. The data were analyzed quantitatively using descriptive statistics. The findings reveal that at the senior high school level, the visual learning style is the most dominant preference (55%), followed by kinesthetic (38%) and auditory (13%). At the junior high school level, students’ learning style profiles are more homogeneous, with visual learning showing a very strong dominance (68%), kinesthetic at 20%, and auditory at 12%. These results indicate a shift in students’ learning style patterns from junior to senior high school: from a strong dominance of visual learning in junior high to a more balanced preference between visual and kinesthetic learning in senior high. Junior high school students, who are at the early stage of abstract reasoning, rely more heavily on visual modes as a bridge to understand concepts. Upon entering senior high school, cognitive maturity enables them to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical application. Therefore, the optimization of visual media is highly recommended for junior high school, while for senior high school, project-oriented methods and direct practice become more relevant. © 2026, Malque Publishing. All rights reserved.
Languages and Arts Faculty, Universitas Negeri Semarang, Central Java, Semarang, Indonesia
